August 22, 2008
UK pig industry collaborates to find alternative pig feeds
A GBP 1.5-million Green Pig project is investigating the potential of using home grown legumes in the diets of growing and finishing pigs, according to Farming UK.
The Defraproject brings together plant breeders and growers, pig feed manufacturers, producers and industry organisations such as BPEX.
The aim is to find a home-grown feed as an soy alternative which will closely match the needs of a pig, BPEX pig technical manager Dr Pinder Gill said.
"The benefits should be lower costs for producers and a better environment as this feed would not have to be transported anything like as far as soya."
The three-and-a-half year project brings together three academic institutions: the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), University of Nottingham and National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB)), along with ten industry partners.
The overall project co-ordination rests with SAC.